today was a day of induction and orientation and a really stressful bus ride that i could do nothing about. of course it turned out that everything was fine. i did get on the right bus. i did not piss off my supervisor, even though i was 40 min late. she was totally cool about it. but from our discussion at dinner (murata-sensei mentioned that the principal was expecting me to teach more than monique, as she was sick and missed many days of school) that my predecessor screwed me royally. i figured that she wasn't leaving me with very high expectations to deal with at school, per her complaints about being bored, but shit. now they have high expectations just in that they want me to teach more because she was such a slacker. garg. i just don't know. this just sounds like another pile of shit. and of course i'm writing this after a very long day so it seems even shitty. gawd i'm so negative. it's just so frustrating. i think i need some stress free monk time.
post-stress free monk:
so thursday (the 10th) was not a great day by the end. i had to take a bus downtown to attend the induction ceremony for the BOE (board of education) and an orientation on teaching and some basics about getting settled in japan and policies about being a JET. the induction was about 40 min, pretty short, but me and the rest of the women were all wearing new shoes and dying in them. we had to stand and bow a lot and say 'hi' and ' arigato gozaimashita'. my first of many ceremonies. next was meeting people at the BOE, which meant walking up and down stairs and standing there, some one says something official, we bow and then walk out. its all very interesting (and painful for my angry feet). this was followed by lunch. we went to vietnamese food near by (on the sixth floor not eighth) and there was a mad dash for buffet food after more speeches and then an awkward meal with a japanese BOE member. the great thing about this was i got to talk to more of the JETs one, guy, matt from the u.k., approached me, saying he had meant to do so earlier, and we starting talking and joking around. nice guy. this was followed by the orientation which had some useful info and games for students. finally we're done and dob (one of the second years) leads us to find the post office for kate and the lawsons so matt can buy concert tickets. next we go out to new york new york--a gaijin bar--for food and drinks. as i have dinner with my supervisor i just have a beer. its so damn cool how many different types of people i'm meeting. the second year at our table was from chicago, then there was a girl from south africa and a guy from jamaica. this part of JET makes me so happy. after a discussion of goals and what do you miss (yeah i'm still do myspace surveys, just live action style) a group of us wonder to the bus stop as to get home on time. well i don't wonder, i hobble horribly down the street. i have blisters and open wounds on my feet because i was a moron and chose to beat the heat by not wearing panty-hose with my skirt. soo not worth it. now my real stress of the day is as follows, i'm the bus center, say good-bye to everyone, see my bus off in the distance at stall #11 and make a run for it. i get on and then start to think, is this really the right bus? i had to be on something something 'c'. i could have read it wrong. i decide no i'm fine and when we hit traffic start writing letters. so stuck in traffic i'm realizing i don't recognize where i am and it's 7:00 (the time dinner starts at the murata-household) and the bus isn't moving. i'm so screwed. i don't have a phone. i'm really late. and i'm on the wrong bus. shit. i decide to breath slowly and just figure i'm on the part of the bus route i don't recognize. i'll be fiiine. which is of course true. i start seeing familar things, the bus is moving, and when i do finally get off (after pushing for the wrong stop, very rude) i get to dinner and murata-sensei is smiling and happy to see me with no complaints about the time. *sigh* a pleasant dinner, where i don't eat much follows and then i'm off to bed feeling cranky with monique. each day is a new and exciting day of stress.
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